chairs and more

I received an email yesterday from Wenger Corp in Minnesota telling me that our chairs had just left the factory. We were supposed to get a call 24 hours prior to delivery. Delivery was estimated for anytime from 4-7 days. You can imagine my surprise this morning when the driver called and said he was Amerisource and would be arriving at the theatre in approx. 30 minutes.

I quickly grabbed Jim and we made space for the semi truck to back in Maiden Alley off of Kentucky and then back into our lot and up to the back doors. As the pallets were unloaded Jim and I lifted and carried all of the crates of chairs into the studio theatre. We proceeded to unpack some of the more damaged cardboard boxes to inspect for damage. A few of the chairs were bent from shipping but I've already contacted the factory rep and they are shipping new chairs as soon as I find the total number which are damaged. In a second surprise many of the arms on the chairs didn't have a place for an embedded donor plaque. The factory is shipping the new arms to us. Wenger is a good company and really seems to follow through on their sales and service.

Jim and I will tag the old chairs which have been sold and will begin the slow process of dis assembly next Monday. We may have a few of the old chairs ready for pickup just in time for Christmas. The new chairs will be installed after new years day.

We got some good news today on the stage drape front. Last fall the Paducah City Fire Marshall came and did his annual inspection of our facility. In the wake of the Immanuel Baptist Church fire all theatres and schools in the city were double checked for fireproofing certificates on the stage drapes. Our drapes were a donation from WKCTC and the flame proofing certificate has expired. We were looking at an expensive process of having to redo the flame proofing to get the new certificate. This process can stain and ruin the finish on the fabrics. We found a company that will do a flame test on all of our stage drapes. If the drapes pass the test they will certify them for an additional period of time. The drapes have all been treated with borax as a initial flame retardant. We are sending samples of our drapes for testing and keeping our fingers crossed that they all pass.

Tomorrow night is the December board meeting which will be held at my house. The board will each bring a dish and we will do a pot luck. Immediately following the meeting will be the final rehearsal of the Murder Mystery troupe show Reunion at Hippie High. We are the entertainment for the Lone Oak elementary teachers Christmas Party. We did a show last year for the Lone Oak High School teachers party.

Best Christmas Pageant Ever goes back in performance next Saturday and Sunday. The cast party will be held at the theatre immediately following the last show and the set strike. The theatre will be open next week on Tuesday and Wednesday for any final Gift Certificates and last minute Mini Season ticket passes. The the staff will go away to be with family and friends and return to work on Monday January 4.